Nearly 12,000 bans occurred in American public schools in the past year, as per a recent study by PEN America. This marks the highest number of removals since the organization started tracking them five years ago. The study coincides with the international Banned Books Week, observed from October 4 to October 10, under the theme “Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read.” During this week, events across U.S. schools, libraries, and other venues raise awareness about censorship efforts.
While Canada celebrates its dedicated intellectual freedom campaign in February, some Canadian libraries and bookstores participate in global initiatives during this October period. American author Stephen King led the list of authors whose works were most frequently removed for the second consecutive year, with his books being banned 312 times, including titles like “The Shining” and “The Green Mile.”
Among the banned books in American schools is Canadian author Margaret Atwood’s renowned dystopian novel, “The Handmaid’s Tale.” The most frequently banned individual title was Patrick McCormick’s novel “Sold,” which had 25 removals. Other commonly targeted books include Laurie Halse Anderson’s “Speak” and Ellen Hopkins’ “Crank.”
PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans for the 2025-2026 academic year revealed several titles facing bans for the first time, encompassing classic novels, popular fiction, young adult stories, manga, and a feminist anthology. One of these titles is “Romeo and/or Juliet: A Chooseable Path Adventure,” a graphic novel by Ottawa-born writer Ryan North.
Florida and Texas saw a significant number of bans, influenced by restrictive laws and advocacy for removals by politicians and conservative activists. School administrators increasingly rely on artificial intelligence to determine which books should be removed. The primary reasons for challenging books include themes of race, racism, sexuality, and gender identity.
The PEN report, titled “Banned in the USA,” emphasizes the importance of school libraries in providing access to diverse knowledge and ideas, irrespective of personal or political beliefs. It highlights that book bans hinder the freedom to read, limiting students’ exposure to a variety of viewpoints and literature. In total, 11,982 bans affecting 7,370 works were identified, with over 4,500 appearing on the list for the first time, ranging from classics like “Jane Eyre” to modern works like Sui Ishida’s “Tokyo Ghoul” manga series.
Both PEN America and the American Library Association have reported a surge in bans since the early 2020s, although their methodologies differ. While PEN counts any book removal as a ban, the ALA includes only permanently pulled books. The ALA’s recent report, released in April, documented around 5,600 instances of bans in the preceding year.
